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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. track — a song
  10. spell — magic
  11. track — a path
  12. toast — bread
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spell — a short time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com